The Mill Brewery has announced it will take over the Bendigo Hotel and reopen the beloved Johnston Street venue.
The Bendigo Hotel is set to reopen in late August after The Mill Brewery revealed its plans to relocate and take over the iconic venue on Johnston Street. It comes after the Bendigo Hotel announced its closure earlier this year in March, prompting heartbreak among the live music scene in Melbourne.
In an Instagram post, The Mill Brewery said it was “pumped to revive [the Bendigo Hotel] with great beer, great food and great live music”. The brewery will adopt the Bendigo Hotel name, continuing the venue’s valuable 113-year-old legacy, while closing the doors at its Sackville Street location.
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The merger between the two businesses was also prompted by uncertainty surrounding The Mill Brewery’s fate, as a change in ownership over the property left them without a secure spot at their original location. Founder of The Mill Brewery, Mirek Aldridge, said he was already looking for a new location within Collingwood.
The Bendigo Hotel has been a haven for metalheads, punks, emos and goths, hosting everything metal-related. Whether bands were well-established in the metal scene or starting out fresh, the Bendigo Hotel always ensured there was a place for metal amid the diverse music scene of Melbourne. It’s understandable why many were devastated to hear about the iconic venue’s closure after fighting incredibly hard to keep the place afloat blow-after-blow during the COVID pandemic.
The Mill Brewery aims to install its 600-litre pilot brewery inside The Bendi’s garage, transforming the already iconic venue into a “true brewpub”, Aldridge said in an article published in The Crafty Pint. Only a few breweries in Australia have their own bandroom, so the prospect of one being at the famous Bendigo Hotel is nothing short of exciting.
With the pub’s front bar becoming The Mill’s new taproom, punters can expect extensive beer offerings. A new partnership with Melbourne’s most beloved taco truck, Dingo Ate My Taco, has also been announced, revamping the pub’s menu.
Plans to install a brand-new PA system are underway, and a local booker will also join the team reopening at the century-old site. With a new team of passionate owners, the revival of the Bendigo Hotel is significant for the thriving metal scene in Melbourne.
The Bendigo Hotel becoming a brewpub is rather fitting, as historically, it was initially owned by Carlton Brewery Limited in 1896. After all, sometimes returning to your roots is what’s needed to continue forward.
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